There's lots to see in South Dakota, including the beautiful scenery of the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore Memorial. And then there's the world's only Corn Palace. You'd think you were in Morocco, except for all of the American flags. What is a corn palace anyway? Well, it's an agricultural extravaganza of sorts, a tribute to corn. The whole place is decorated with thirteen different colors of corn and redecorated every year based on a new theme.
If you visit in August, you can attend Corn Palace Festival, and if you visit in September, you can attend the Polka Festival. The local high school also holds its prom here, and there are graduation ceremonies and basketball games as well. What's even more noteworthy is that the Corn Palace has been in Mitchell, South Dakota since 1892.
I think my mom had a card like this from when she was 11, which would have been 1929.
ReplyDeleteChristine, whereabouts is the bridge? What type is it?
ReplyDeleteBob,
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking that question. That bridge is the Meridian Highway Bridge that spans the Missouri River and the borders of South Dakota and Nebraska. It's a double-deck vertical lift bridge. The lower deck was designed to accommodate rail, but that never happened. The bridge is not in use right now; it was replaced by another recently-built bridge. However, the old bridge is being renovated to serve as a pedestrian/bike bridge. I'd love to walk across it!
Thanks Christine for sharing some more amazing postcards.
ReplyDeleteAJ
South Dakota is my favorite vacation destination, bar none. Oddly enough, as often as we've been there we still haven't checked out the Corn Palace!
ReplyDeleteChristine, you can just walk downtown tomorrow and cross the Steel Bridge over the Willamette- same type as Meridian but it actually has rail/bike/ped on the lower level, and light rail/car/bike/ped on the upper. No corn palace in sight though...
ReplyDeleteRail, that's the issue...not the same as having a quiet bridge just for bikes and peds. Not the same at all.
ReplyDeleteI Have Never Been To South Dakota & ,Having Read Your Post, I Now "Have A Cob On" !
ReplyDeleteWent to Rushmore a few years ago. I stood there looking at it, then turned to my travel companion and said, "Well, it's big, but not THAT BIG."
ReplyDeleteWish I'd seen the Corn Palace. Also wish I'd seen Wall Drugs just because it exists.
I really want to visit the Corn Palace!
ReplyDeleteI've never been to the Corn Palace, but I love the cards. The decorations are different every year.
ReplyDeleteSo if the temperature got unrealistically really hot, would we have popcorn at our feet? Great attraction. Hope to see it one day.
ReplyDelete